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along with his trusty moose, accompanies her on her search for Elsa.

Eventually they’re joined by Olaf, and immediately the cynicism meter kicks into the red. He’s a cutesy snowman who seems to scream fast-food tie-in potential, and that might well be true. But he’s voiced so wonderfully by Josh Gad that it doesn’t matter. Instead of a marketing gimmick, Olaf turns out to be one of Disney’s more-entertaining creatures, providing humor and heart.

As with many stories, the chase is more interesting than where it leads. And if there isn’t anything especially novel about the charac- Find an interview with Idina Menzel at movies.azcentral .com. ters (princesses, princes, well-meaning doofuses there to help), the cast portraying them is uniformly excellent. Bell in particular gives Anna a spunk modern kids will recognize and appreciate, without betraying the core elements of the character.

It’s an out-and-out musical, and the songs are lively and advance the story. Menzel’s “Let It Go” is a show-stopper, as they say, accompanied by incredible animation as Elsa …

Wait. Nope. Saying more would give too much away.

There are a lot of twists in “Frozen,” including one whopper. This isn’t always the case, but here saying too much would ruin the enjoyment of the movie.

And this is a movie that should be enjoyed, with its themes of hardwon acceptance and self-confidence.

It’s not flawless and it requires at least some tolerance for show tunes, but “Frozen” is a real treat.